ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, January 23, 1997 TAG: 9701230016
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-9 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
DATELINE: PULASKI
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
We Copy, originally established mainly as a copying and printing service, is expanding into a full office supply store in its new location at 67 W. Main St. in Pulaski.
Pulaski Town Council and Community National Bank have each approved a $42,500 loan for the expansion. We Copy is owned and operated by Tom Wallace and his mother, Ima Wallace.
"We're really pleased to have this business," Pulaski Town Councilwoman Bettye Steger said Tuesday, after the town loan was approved. "It really was needed."
Pulaski had an office supply store on Main Street but it closed several years ago. The need for such a store locally had been cited by a number of Pulaski businesses. The closest office supply stores were in Radford and Wytheville.
"In a week or two, he should be able to get anything and everything people are now buying from out of town," Economic Development Director Barry Matherly told the town's Economic Development Executive Committee Wednesday.
The store now stocks a wide variety of items from computer ribbons to Virginia Tech souvenirs. It is also a place from and to which United Parcel Service and Federal Express can ship items. It will be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays.
Matherly also reported that the town's Economic Development Department has been recruiting for a new restaurant operation downtown. More than 100 packages have been mailed out to successful restaurateurs in nearby downtowns to see if they would be interested in a facility in Pulaski.
"They were targeted," Matherly said, and two have visited the town already to look at potential sites, including the former location of the Renaissance Restaurant. Two more are scheduled to visit next week.
A survey of shoppers and visitors by Virginia Tech students as a class project showed restaurants and more clothing stores as topping the list of what people would like to see in downtown Pulaski.
The town's Economic Development Board has commissioned a study to see if Pulaski might develop a system of outlet stores in its downtown area. Matherly said such a development should also help existing stores by increasing foot traffic downtown and encouraging more area residents to shop there. "We can't just keep looking for out-of-town people to come in and save us," he said.
LENGTH: Short : 49 linesby CNB